“I do not know what you are referring to,” she replied, trying to keep her voice neutral. “There is no bubble of love between us.”
“Is there not?” Jacob questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, of course, I respect the Duke greatly and believe him to be a great man.”
Jacob cut her off mid-sentence.
“Lady Sophia, you do realize that the Duke is your husband? You do not need to speak about him in such a formal manner. In fact, you do not need to deny your feelings about him,” he explained.
Sophia felt that she had just dug herself in a hole. If she insisted that she felt nothing for the Duke, it would give the impression that she thought of herself higher than him. However, if she said the opposite, it would undo her progress of keeping the Duke away from the curse.
The best course of action, it seemed, was just being honest.
“Is it not that I wish to deny my feelings for him. It is just that situation is very…” she gulped. “Well, I suppose you can guess yourself why I would have my reservations about making our relationship closer.”
“I cannot fathom any reason,” Jacob replied. “A lot of men suffer a reputation of being a rake, and the ghost of their past often carries into their marriage, but this is not true for my brother. He could not be more opposite. This is why I cannot see why you would hesitate.”
Sophia shook her head, “The reason has nothing to do with him…”
“Then?” Jacob asked her.
Sophia could not believe that Jacob was being so oblivious. How could he not think of the curse? Surely it was the first thing that most people thought of when they saw her.
“If you really want me to spell it out for you,” Sophia sighed, “I worry that if I get too close to the Duke, I will transfer my curse onto him. This is why I believe that it is best for the both of us to keep our distance.”
Jacob was rendered speechless for a moment. He blinked at her and then began to shake his head dramatically.
“Oh, Madam, that is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard. It is one thing for the ton to make comments like that, but another entirely for you to be saying this yourself,” he said, worry laced in his tone.
“I am afraid that they might just have a point,” she admitted. “Besides, I would never really be able to forgive myself if anything happens to the Duke because of me.”
“But… the two of you are married?” Jacob pointed out. “It does not feel very realistic to keep such a distance between the two of you.”
“I agree,” Sophia noted, “but it is what needs to be done.”
“I do not agree with you there,” Jacob protested. “Lady Sophia, there’s no curse. Such things are mere superstitions. You’re not bound by these made-up concepts.”
“Then I suppose we can agree to disagree,” Sophia replied, not wanting to argue further.
In all honesty, even Sophia had begun to change her mind about the curse. Before her marriage, she was convinced that any man associated with her would burst into flames if she was as much as in close proximity to him. But Duncan and she had even shared a kiss, and nothing bad had happened.
So far.
Was the intensity of her curse exaggerated, even in her head? Or did it not exist to begin with?
It was something that Sophia has begun to question for the first time, but that led to a more important question. If it was not the fear of the curse that was keeping her away from the Duke, then what was it?
Could it be that she had gotten feelings of her own and confronting them head on seemed like too much of a daunting prospect? Perhaps so, but she was not prepared to admit that to anyone yet, including her own self.
Jacob shook his head. “This is not the right reasoning…”
“You cannot tell him this,” Sophia requested. “I know that he does not believe in the curse either. He will only raise further objections if you tell him.”
“But I am on his side in this situation!”
“You might be,” Sophia noted, “but you are also a new friend for me. I urge you to keep this information to yourself if you value my friendship.”
Jacob sighed, “Fine, only because I take my friendships seriously. But I sincerely hope that you change your mind about this absurd limitation that you have imposed upon yourself soon. What do you think will happen?”
